


trial by fire

by orphan_account



Series: burn it all verse [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Era, Gen, Non-Canon Relationship, Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 07:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12271716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "How does the accused plea?"On trial for crimes she certainly did commit, Kezi recounts her travels.





	trial by fire

**Author's Note:**

> I've literally had this character in my head for over ten years, so I finally decided it's about damn time I wrote something down. Kezi has changed from a bland Mary-Sue to a character I've fallen in love with, so I at least hope you like her as much as I do.
> 
> Also, this chapter is fairly short. I hope to do longer ones in the future. I'm aiming to update every Thursday.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Please comment and critique because I'm needy.

“The accused stands trial for the following crimes against the state; fleeing mandatory conscription, theft, conspiring with the enemy, and treason. How does the accused plead?”

The girl stands in the middle of the courtroom, barefooted and slightly singed, still wearing the faded green clothes she was arrested in, shivering despite the oppressive summer heat. Her hair is loose, still wavy from her usual braid, and her face is blotchy and weary. She glances to a man sitting at a desk not far from her, but he doesn’t meet her eyes. Yes, she would have been appointed an attorney, wouldn’t she? Poor bastard.

“How does the accused plead?” the judge snaps impatiently, causing the girl to flinch. He taps his finger on the desk. “We don’t have all day, girl.”

The girl shuffles closer to the jurors. She mumbles something, then clears her throat and says, louder, “Not guilty.” 

The room sighs in irritation—this means a drawn-out trial, which the girl would most certainly lose. The best she could do was delay the inevitable, and no one wants to hear the girl’s sob story. 

As if sensing the annoyance, the girl shrinks in on herself, her shoulder’s collapsing, curling in to cover her core. Her hands wrap around her small frame, and she shakes again. Did they put her in a cooler? As if she could hurt a fly. 

A guard stands in the back of the room, near the door. He does not react, merely watches the girl with curiosity. She is among enemies, here. Among her own people, perhaps, but she is far from everything she has known. She will have no help or sympathy from anyone.

The judge’s lips pull away from his teeth in a grin that looks more like an animalistic snarl.

The guard watches the girl warily, ready for her to crumble under the pressure, but a strange sort of pride gathers in his chest, as the girl lifts her chin, grits her teeth and returns the judge’s smile. 

* * *

 

“Kezi, we’re leaving!” Yawen has already packed and stands impatiently outside of the earthen hut. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry,” Kezi replies, a little breathlessly, “I was just seeing if I could still do something.” She brushes her hands on her skirt and shoves them in her pockets as she stands. Yawen watches her skeptically as she passes him.

“And what would that be?” he demands, following her with his gaze.

“Nothing that concerns you,” Kezi retorts, running her fingers through her long brown hair to brush it before separating it into sections for the braid. “Aren’t I allowed my own business?”

Yawen rolled his eyes. “You aren’t subtle, kid. Cut it out with that shit before someone sees you.”

Kezi’s chin lifts stubbornly, and she prepares herself for the familiar argument. “No one is going to see, Yawen. And I’m not a kid.”

Yawen scoffs. “You’re thirteen.” 

“Well, you’re only fifteen.” 

“I’m of age,” Yawen retorts. “I can enlist in the army.”

Kezi falters. “No, you won’t.” 

Noticing the panicked look in Kezi’s eyes, Yawen softens. “Of course I won’t. Don’t be stupid. I was just saying I could. But I have to hide my bending to do that, or they’ll draft me, do you understand? So, you have to hide it too.”  

“Okay.” Kezi finishes her braid, then swings her leather satchel over her neck. “I won’t do it again, Yawen, I’m sorry.”

“Let’s go,” Yawen replies. He takes Kezi’s hand and they duck out of the alleyway, quickly blending into the crowd of people shopping and shouting.

“We should get food before we leave,” Kezi says, looking up at Yawen pleadingly. “Please? I’m hungry, we haven’t eaten in days.” 

Yawen doesn’t meet Kezi’s eyes. “We don’t have any money.”

“So? When has that stopped us before?” Kezi argues.

Yawen looks around before he turns to Kezi, grabbing her by the arm and stopping her in her tracks. “Shut up! Are you stupid? How long have you been living on the streets?” His voice was quiet, but harsh enough to make Kezi flinch. 

“Yawen—”

“How long, Kezi?”

Kezi looks at the ground. “Six years.”

“How long have you been with me?”

“Yawen—”

“Answer the question!”

“Two,” she replied, quietly.

“So how is it, after all that time, you still act like a naïve, spoiled little child?” Yawen, sufficiently pleased with his scolding, took Kezi’s hand again and continued to guide her through the crowd. Kezi said nothing, staring blankly out at the people passing by, biting her lip and blinking rapidly to stop tears from spilling from her eyes. 

“Stop crying,” Yawen adds. “We can’t draw attention to ourselves.”

Kezi wipes her eyes with her free hand and steels herself. 

They pass a stand of fresh, green vegetables of some sort. The woman is chatting with a solider. Yawen shoves something in Kezi’s pocket.

“Wait until we turn the corner,” he whispers. He steers her down an alley between two shops, and releases her arm. Kezi reaches into her shirt and pulls out a handful of green peas. She looks up at Yawen in surprise. He is smiling.

“There’s a way to do these things, you know,” he says.

* * *

 The judge clears his throat, looking away from the girl’s disconcerting smile. “Let us begin, then. Theft of private property, an extensive criminal record in the colonies. You may begin your testimony.”“Sir,” she starts, then pauses. “Your honor. I was alone on the streets. If I didn’t steal, I would have starved—”

“Sir,” she starts, then pauses. “Your honor. I was alone on the streets. If I didn’t steal, I would have starved—”

Wrong answer. A snicker rippled through the courtroom at the girl’s naiveté.

“Plenty of people are starving,” says the judge. “We are at war unless it has escaped your notice.”

_That_ gets a laugh, and the girl shrinks.

In the back of the room, the guard’s fists clench.

“So, you admit to petty theft, stealing from innocent people merely trying to make a living, instead of seeking work like the rest of the world—”

“I was _thirteen_ —”

“And you were a bender. There was no shortage of opportunities for you, girl.” He slouches in his seat and leans his head into his hand. “You may proceed.”

* * *

 

They are sitting on a pile of crates, licking remnants of dumplings from their fingers.

No one pays any mind to vagrant children, but vagrant teenagers are another matter. Yawen is sixteen, now, and Kezi is fifteen. Her sandals have long since worn out, and she is barefooted and dressed in a boy’s outfit, something old of Yawen’s.

“Boy, you need to step off.” An old man has approached them, and his hands grip a small knife which he points in their direction. His breath reeks of rice wine, and Kezi grimaces. “This is private property. You and your ugly little girlfriend need to clear out.”

The comment stings, but Kezi forces herself to smile pleasantly and begins to stand. “Of course, sir. I apologize—”

Yawen’s temper flared, and he stood, towering over the stouter man. “What did you say, grandpa?”

“Try it,” the old man challenged. With one quick motion, Yawen shoves the old man, who stumbles backward into the dirt.

“Yawen!” Kezi screeches.

The man scrambles to his feet, spitting curses as he lunges towards Yawen, who quickly ducks out of the way. The old man is armed, but Yawen is quicker. He ducks out of the way and laughs, mockingly.

  “You son of a hog-monkey,” shouts the old man. He turns to Kezi, and he raises his knife, “I’ll—”

Before Kezi can even react, the old man is flung away from her, a column of earth now standing between her and Yawen. The boy stares at her in shock.

Her heart is pounding, and she presses herself against the crates. “You killed him.”

“I didn’t mean to,” breathes Yawen. “He—what am I going to do?”

Kezi can’t will her body to move. A crowd begins to form around them. A few people go to check on the old man. Someone calls for a doctor. Someone grabs Yawen’s arm, and he doesn’t struggle. They lead him away, quickly, and he calls back to Kezi. She finally notices the uniform the soldier is wearing, and her stomach drops.

“Yawen!” she cries, trying to push her way through the gathering crowd. “Yawen! Yawen!”

Someone wraps an arm around her waist. “Hey, slow down, sweetheart, it’s going to be okay."

“No, my friend, they took my friend! Yawen!” she screams. Her vision begins to blur with tears and her legs falter.

* * *

 

The girl’s eyes have grown misty, and her legs tremble, but she doesn’t cry. The guard nods in approval.

“You have admitted to being a willing participant in multiple thefts over the course of nine years,” the judge says, exasperated. “There is no further way to proceed than to accept your charges.”

The girl thinks for a moment, gathering herself and her thoughts. “Well,” she begins, thinking on her feet. “All that happened in the colonies. So, shouldn’t I be tried according to their rules? So, unless you want to ship me back to the colonies for an additional trial, and who knows how long that would take…” Kezi trails off, looking at her feet innocently.The judge looks at her in stunned silence. His face turns red, and he sputters. Then, “

The judge looks at her in stunned silence. His face turns red, and he sputters. Then, “Very well. We shall drop the theft charges, and shall resume court tomorrow.”

The guard lets himself smile. Perhaps she may live after all.


End file.
